As some of you might know, I write a column on angling art for fly Rod & reel magazine. My goal with the column, “An Angle On Art”, is to introduce the readers to artists and their work that they might otherwise miss.
The current issue of Fly Rod & Reel features the photography of Steve Laurent.
A Sweet Addiction by Steve Laurent
There’s a certain spark in great artwork that’s difficult to define, and hard to ignore. The photography of Steve Laurent has that fire.
Steve Laurent works in black and white with a wide-angled lens to record the everyday lives of the bush pilots and fishing guides at Bristol Bay Lodge, in southwest Alaska. His images are honest, stark and gritty, reminiscent of Dorothea Lange and Walker Evan’s photographs of the Great Depression.
What gives the work such a unique energy is the authenticity that comes from the photographer having lived within the images he captures. Laurent began work in southwest Alaska twenty-two years ago as a fishing guide at the lodge that he now manages. His first eight summers were spent on the upper Togiak River, alone except for the fishermen that were flown in to fish at his remote camp.
The photography of Steve Laurent tells a story, a narrative enriched by the small details that would most likely go unnoticed by someone who hasn’t lived the life. When I look at Laurent’s images I feel the weight of a fifty-five gallon drum on my shoulders, and the pain of an outboard’s pull cord ripped from my fist on a frosty morning. My body sags with the bottomless fatigue that comes from working in the elements fourteen-hours a day, for a four-month season. But, there’s more. When I look at the faces in his photographs, I sense that it’s a “good tired”, and I feel the pride and satisfaction that comes from working long hours within a brotherhood of men that are trusted and admired.
The images captured by Laurent go beyond the scope of his contemporaries. They are a part of him, his history, and his life. They are intimate, authentic, and exude a timeless force that’s hard to find elsewhere.
Laurent chose photography as his medium of expression because, he says, “It’s immediate and flexible. It allows me to quickly and unobtrusively document the history and daily operations of the lodge, the people and the surroundings.” He creates black and white images because he feels it’s in perfect harmony with the gray, reflective wetness that often prevails in Alaska. His single 7 to 14 mm wide-angle lens allows him to get in close to the images he seeks, abstract shapes and shadows, and by shooting at a low angle, create forms that draw the viewer into the moment.
When I asked Laurent what’s next for him, he responded that he’s open to whatever life brings, and that whatever the direction, he’ll continue to build upon those things that inspire him with an open, artistic mind.
Like most artists, Steve Laurent is never completely satisfied with the work he produces and pushes deeper into himself to capture the subtle nuances of his world. He says that, for him, photography is a chase, an attempt to capture something unseen. “Much like swinging flies for steelhead,” Laurent concludes with a smile. “It’s a sweet addiction.”
If you’d like to see more of Steve Laurent’s work, visit fisheyedesign.net, or Steve’s Facebook page. He can be contacted at SLaurent@bristolbaylodge.com
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